Pages

Thursday, May 6, 2010

News Nuggets 339

An enormous rare stripped jellyfish caught on camera. From Discovery News. See the Jellyfish Nugget below.


Times Square Bombing: 'Let Us Freely Help the Americans' from the Daily Jang [of Pakistan in English]

"The death of innocent people, no matter what their nationality or religion, is an act of evil. It can never be defended. The bomb at Times Square was meant to kill those with no connection to the strategies devised by American leadership. … There is no reason why we shouldn't afford the Americans every assistance."

I've seen a couple stories like this on in the last month or so. I hope this sentiment grows in that region.


Why Terrorist Bomb-Makers Keep Failing (Michael Peck) from True/Slant

"First it was the Underpants Bomber setting his genitals on fire, and now the Times Square bomber who displayed explosives skills worthy of Moe, Larry and Curly (if the Three Stooges had decided to commit mass murder). ... Why are the latest terrorist bombers so inept? I think the easiest answer is that terrorist bomb-making is like journalism. Anybody can do it, but not everybody can do it well."


Greece's Riots Versus Our Financial Reform Debate (Scott Payne) from True/Slant

"The next time you find yourself rolling your eyes at those bleeding heart liberals, shaking your fists at those obstinate progressives, throwing up your hands over those pigheaded Republicans, or cursing the name of those crazy tea baggers, just remember: you could be in Greece."


UK General Election: The Next PM Must Nurture the 'Special Relationship' from the Telegraph [of the UK]

"In the real world, there are competing ideologies and hard-core security threats. Our nations share the same ideology: a commitment to democratic values at home, and protecting a democratic, prosperous and secure space for these values in the world. The anti-slavishness talk is a dangerous indulgence, because it masks the fact that we are allies, united in purpose, yet each bearing responsibility for our own actions."


The State Attorneys General Suits to Stop Health Care Are Frivolous (Lazarus and Morrison) from Slate

"The Justice Department says it intends to ask the courts for immediate dismissal. If DoJ gets its wish, the courts should also seek sanctions against the politically motivated attorneys general who filed them."

VERY interesting analysis! Check it out!


Disasters Show That Government Works (E.J. Dionne) from RealClearPolitics

"Rarely has the news of the day run so counter to the spin on the news of the day. It's hard to argue that the difficulties we confront were caused by an excessively powerful "big" government. Rather, most of them arose from the government's failure to do its job in the first place."


Reid Says Gulf Spill Will Spur Climate Change Bill from ABC News

"Rather than jeopardizing Democrats plans for a comprehensive energy and climate change bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid predicted that the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico will actually spur lawmakers to act."

I'm quite skeptical that either immigration or clean energy legislation will pass anytime soon. On the energy bill, HERE's why.


No Fooling Mother Nature (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"This oil spill is to the environment what the subprime mortgage mess was to the markets — both a wake-up call and an opportunity to galvanize a constituency for radical change that overcomes the powerful lobbies and vested interests that want to keep us addicted to oil."


Senior Republicans Distance Themselves from 'Drill, Baby, Drill' from The Hill

"Speaking in the wake of a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that might have as many political repercussions as environmental ones, GOP Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona and Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas both said Senate Republicans never endorsed the phrase. And Kyl specifically avoided referring to Steele by name."

How Surprising!!


Why Charter Schools Fail the Test from the New York Times

"THE latest evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the oldest and most extensive system of vouchers and charter schools in America, came out last month, and most advocates of school choice were disheartened by the results."


Brazilian Archbishop Says Kids are 'Spontaneously Homosexual,' According to Report from the Associated Press

""Society today is pedophile, that is the problem. So, people easily fall into it. And the fact it is denounced is a good sign," Grings told O Globo."

Another dope heard from. I hate to say this -- but the Vatican needs to somehow communicate to bishops and archbishops around the globe to, like, shut up. Guys like this are NOT helping the situation.


Arizona's Pathetically Pointless Immigration Law (Michael Medved) from AOL News

"Defenders of the wildly controversial Arizona immigration law need to confront an uncomfortable question: What, exactly, is the new legislation supposed to accomplish?"

A first appearance among the nuggets for Mr. Medved. He's mostly on the mark here. The piece that he (and most commentators) is missing is through the plethora of "Me Too" laws now moving in other states, it INSURES that Arizona will not be the only state to suffer from the wrath of Hispanic voters. This will evolve into a national, long-term problem for the GOP.


Everything You Know About the Republican Resurgence is Wrong (Japhy Grant) from True/Slant

"No narrative has more weight right now than the impending return of the Republican party and no narrative is more wrong. The GOP is more doomed now than ever. Here’s why."

I've suspected this for some time -- although I think the picture is much more complicated and in flux than Grant suggests.


Tea Party Groups Battling Perceptions of Racism from the Washington Post

"As several states with active "tea party" groups prepare to hold important primary elections this month, the movement is struggling to overcome accusations of racism that are tinting perceptions of this loose network of conservatives."

Too late.


The Tea Party's Allegiance to No One (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post

"In purging impure Republicans from the ranks, Tea Partyers ultimately may manage to further shrink the GOP by alienating those repelled by purity tests. Nothing dissuades like righteousness. And though Tea Partyers pledge allegiance to no party, Republicans clearly are more aligned with Tea Party principles than are Democrats. If good-faith, conservative legislators such as Bennett fail to pass muster, who will be brave enough to legislate? If no one, then what?"


The Tea Party is Now Irrelevant in Indiana (Andrew Romano) from Newsweek

"For the national (and often, local) press, analyzing these primaries contest often has more to do with establishing or cementing a media narrative than actually saying something about the races in question."


SPACE EXPLORATION NUGGET!!

How Capt. Kirk Changed the World from NASA News

""Dawn will be the first spacecraft ever built to orbit two target bodies after leaving Earth," says Marc Rayman, Dawn chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "There's not even a concept for doing such a mission with conventional propulsion systems. The spacecraft would have to carry so much fuel, it would be too heavy to launch." Instead, Dawn relies on ion propulsion, which doesn't require a huge spacecraft. Rayman first heard the term years ago while watching – you guessed it -- Star Trek."


ANOTHER SPACE EXPLORATION NUGGET!!

Plasma Rocket May Shorten Space Voyages from Discovery News

"If tests prove successful, this innovative new rocket could one day take astronauts to Mars in a little more than a month."


OCEAN NUGGET!!

Enormous Purple-Striped Jellyfish Captured on Camera from Discovery News

"Scott said this is a purple-striped jellyfish (Chrysaora colorata). Note the fish swimming underneath it. Fish often cruise next to large jellies like this for protection from predators. This particular jellyfish species has a very powerful sting, but Scott said he and his colleagues were well covered."

See the video that accompanies it as well.


No comments: